Electric plug



A. AGUERE.

ELECTRIC PLUG.

APPLICATION FfLED Nov. s, 1919.

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lELECTRIC PLUG.

man

.Application led November 3, 1919. Serial No. 335,466.

To all whom t may cof/wem.'

Be it known that I, ARTHUR AGUERE, a citizen of the United States, residing at West Somerville, in the county of Middlesex' and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Electric Plugs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in electric rplugs for connecting the conductors leading to an electric instrument with the socket member and the principal object of the invention is to provide means whereby the plug may be quickly and easily placed in the socket and removed therefrom and without screwing it to the socket as is now done.

Another object of the invention relates to the means for connecting the contacts of the plug with the conductors and the arrangement of thefdiderent parts in said contacts.

Still another object of the invention is to provide the plug with a cap for affording access to the contacts and the means for attaching said cap to the plug.

The invention also consists in certain otherfeatures of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts. to be hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

In describing my invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters denote like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which Figure 1 is a view of the assembled plug.

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section.

Fig. 4 is a detail view.

,In these views 1 indicates the body of the plug which may be formed of any suitable non-conducting .material This body has its lower part of cylindrical shape but substantially half of the upper part is cut-away to form a semi-circular recess 2. .The bottom wall of this recess carries the two contact plates 3 which are separated from each other by the partition 4. A tubular stem 5 projects from the bottom of the body and a long contact screw 6 passes through the stem and through the bottom and has a screw threaded end engaging one of the contact plates. I prefer to place a contact sprlng 7 on the screw which is bent to extend over the head of the screw. Each contact plate carries a screw part for holding the end of the conductor to the plate.

T he recess is closed by a cap 9 which is of semi-circular shape and is held to the bottom by a screw 10 which is countersunk as shown. This screw is arranged at one side of the cap and the other side of the cap is provided with a projection 11 which engages with a small recess l2 formed in the body. This capis provided with an opening 13 which is surrounded by a neck 14. The conductors pass through this neck and opening and have their ends secured to the contact plates by the screws.

A split collar or ring 15 is located below the body and is secured thereto by a screw 16-which passes through an ear 17 formed on the collar and bent at right angles, said screw passing into the bottom and engaging one of the contact plates. This ring is made of spring metal and surrounds the stem and is adapted to engage with the socket member which is connected with the wire of the dwelling or other building. The split ends of this collar`are provided with tabs which are bent over to form the loops 18. These loops are vengaged by the hooked ends of the Shanks 19 of the operating member. These Shanks are pivoted together and they pass through an opening 20 formed in the body at the long part thereof. The upper ends of the Shanks project through the top of the body where they receive handles 21 which are made of non-conducting material. The pivot pin of the Shanks passes through an opening in the body and the end of this opening is filled in with non-conducting material. Where the metal forming the collar is of insufficient resiliency T may secure a spring loop 22 thereto to strengthen it. 1n this case the ends of the loop would engage the loops 18.

In using the device the cap is removed by unscrewing the holding screw and the conductors will pass through the opening in said cap. The ends of these conductors are then secured to the contact plates by the screws. The cap is then replaced and the device is now ready to be used. When it is desired to place the plug in the socket it is simply necessary to squeeze the handles 2.1 together so as to contract the collar. This collar is then placed in the socket and the handles released when the collar will expand and thus grip the-walls of the socket and hold the plug in place. l/Vhen the plug is to be removed 'the handles are squeezed to contract the collar sol that the plug may be withdrawn.

lt will thus be seenthat electric instruments such as irons, percolators., lamps and the like may be quickly and easily connected with the house system without having to screw a pluginto the socket or to use a plug formed of two pieces, with the two pieces connected together by spring strips carried by one piece which have to be inserted in holes in the other piece.

llt is thought from the foregoing description that the advantages and novel features of my invention will be readily apparent.

ll desire it to be understood that ll may make changes in the construction and in the combination and arrangement ot the several parts, provided that such changes fall within the scope of the appended claims.

`What l claim is:

l. A plug of the class described compris ing a body, a spring collar connected with the body, a pair of arms passing through the body and pivotally connected therewith9 the inner ends of saidarms being connected with the collar and handles on the other ends of said arms for moving the outer ends of the arms toward each other.

2. Aplug of the class described comprising a body having a recess therein, contact plates in said recess, a cap for closing said recess, said cap having an opening therein through which the conductors pass, a spring collar connected with the body and means passing through the body and cap for contracting said collar from the outer end oi the plug.

lln testimony whereolI l affix my signature,

ARTHUR AGUERE. 

